Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1887-03-16
FyAT0R REAGAN'S BOOK
,s,r,TE EEMiNIsCENOEe
)At Fam, IA THE CURTAIN

pafpose ,or,b mis- personal recoliections
YIN man and measures OF tne ooni i.o,.
ine M NJ Reagan said to the writer
ao' a. FIVE years ago that ne nao aire 1ia
af u ;o,+ing down some OF his reminls-
I'D 'o nd that he hoped to be able 10
1 ns' more time to it when he suc ct', =.
Easing an interstate commelce "i,n' 80
p@'' will write as Interestingly as
be 9eha1 vs. hook will be most entertain
e ts.hs n. He was with JeHer-
bg voIuu almost from the Degln-
10 p aSI9 vas the Confederate
ng' a,,S companion in that saoly nu.
President i,snse Of the Confsderacy IN
porous 0J re ia the last surviving memoer
eorgIa Eshinet. and is the only one
Dat's an tel in an authentic, ana yet
eft "no o o~ manner of anecdote, the
P Tue what went on behind the curtain:
tofy VI This. he says, was tragic, much OF
ucn VI me Melancholy, and a very great
mus ba now recalls it, decldediy
PeSl' o. Before Judge Reagan nad
un Lnd V very long with Davis be discovered
I've. '.ao ambitions and jealousles OF some
IA. Wv confederate leaders VINO were III
t Ito ierv and self-sacritcing southern
uon, wore passions that very decided
~. .;;. aVs, their patriotism, and IL was
~ t'nos" nyvbat TO Reagan's discovery tbat
4 ue oV ,rore monument Contederates VINO
Etuelo .h. hrat al No. l, and next OF the Con-
EISo+scv that led him. as one OF the urst
fe",';o,Ions Con ederates, 10 a0Vise
o " nppo1ia TO accept the result, come back
p Union in good faith, ana go 10
II ,,asbinC and planting cotton. what ne
pIon- nreached he practioed, though Tor
,rSila il made him unpopular, ana since
and ot the Southern experiment no
a ne has ever heard Reagan. either IN
ai'hlic or prjyate, say word that raises
ansnicIon that any regrets exist IN nls
s',Trd eitoer for the part he took IN that
1rusrimpnt or the result OF it. In private
sapfrarsatton the senator alludes IN the
80, entertaining manner to bis remln-
inoesces Of that struggle, and though ne
tas naen charged by his associates In
Coocrpss with a lack OF the sense of
trmor vet he betrays rather keen
annreciation of it as he tells some of the
anecdotes of those four years In Rich
m0nd.
1eFerson Davis in a new light, for it
wonld show some of the very great trials
and nerplexitles which Davis had con-
stantly TO meet that were caused by the
oyprweeping am bitiOns and jealOusies of
some of the COnfederates of prominence
DAVIS knew we'll, the Senator once said,
ire peculiarities of Southern men; he
knew personally and intimately almost
every man OF suthOrity in the South, and
h. understood better than most Southern
men did the weaknesses Of human nature,
especially human nature dominated by
political ambition. According to the Sem
at0r. there were times when Davis dis
PLAYED as much tact as Lincoln in dealing
with prominent men who were embittere d
by personal jealousies, and there were
other times when be set his heel down
very hard, and no man could grind
harder heel Than Davis if it was neces.
sary. The grinding in many instances Is
matter OF history and record, and Sem
atOr K agan can supplement this with an
explanation giving Davis reasons.
The OutcrOppings OF these ambitions
and the clashings of them between mem
bers Of tue Confederate Congress and the
officers OF prominence In the field were
very painful at the time, but in the vista
Of memory are now not without a humor-
GUS tlnge. A prominent Confederate once
said:"We are fighting the Yankees hard
enough now, but what is 1t going to be
when we've licked them and get ready
for each otherW and there was
always in the minds OF Confeder-
ates OF calmer Judgment cloud In
the future, after the Contederacy was
established, OF which they dared not say
much, Joe Browns threatened rebellion
III Georgia, the secret nope or intention of
some South Carolina hot heads of the ul-
Innate establishment of an independent
nation by tnat State, the little shadow in
North Carollna-all these hints of inter-
ial trouble we're subjects of informal
conversation between Davis and the
members of his Cabinet, and il the Sena-
Ier VIII write fully of what he knows
tlereon, most Interesting and almost
N40lIy new page Of Confederate history
viii be opened.
Senator Reagan's recnllectIons of the
erst Confederate Congress that met in
hlchmond, il told as be describes them i'm
ii1iOfiAal conversation, will make highly
interesting reading. Most OF the mem.
UeEs were men in middle life. MANY OF
.aem had been i'll the National Congress.
nan OF Them were increased by a ire.
'n9"uous consciousness that the COnfed-
esaacy would still be a dream but for their
, ,uo. ., anu almost every mothers sou OF
'I',a was an orator Of greater or less re-
- - WI DAVIS, VINO, though a very
I Ls"s'hs o'ator himself, had small regard
' nse IlerV'd eloquence at such times,
,P o''. " regard The meeting of Congress as
!, eGessaIy nuisance. Yet he knew that
nav " .' Ivy, ~ com posed OF such men as Yam
go ,,9 %"u Wiglall and Cobb anu Ben Hill,
iber!! one OF them brilliantly loquacious,
nsrf,r "Uulu oe an interim able clatter Of
,rir i IL tongues, and 1t was frequently
oross,' Uy tle most desperate executive
,rsIou,. tGat tne Congress could quit
Uori, anu come down to the humble
'grE oil passing bills.
NV ~, was one snort, thick set little fel.
,ro. on, N.Y." ssuuy nalr, freckled skin, and
b. brn'''nt assurance and volubilty
,rsa, ouAnC 10 The Confederate Senate a
Iwov puValIon as ep orator, who could
eaTs , naeI audiences, and could wiring
gith I., Un 'neu or set them to squIrming
be s"r1 Gu en- nut, above all, could fire
smone heart as no orator of the
yas s Ire'eatcr quartette could: and II
rongn, 'u tnat be mad by his speeches.
n sn,,n nissourl into the Contederacy
leapa a. u Ihe Federal bsyonets. Senator
rode u u heard much OF this youthful
be |oyy vi eloquence, ana went one dav To
: hon OI We senate to hear him spesk,
ARA ne entered there stood SANDY.
ery un lung man in the aisle, looking
Nh puny beside such big men as Ran
aims Wy was ewing him beneath his
nm y n walch were shading his ewes. and
bs,, whimsical look aud Yanoev with
.atcha aHnpsed, halt earnest expression
Inv S1 ,Hl the little fellow as he sontrmad
nj QUE vas violence Of his gesticuIalioos
rous. cho ~ me corner stood a tall. caday'
ho Sa useked man with thin gray hair
pi,o% lag once been President or ths
ouny o,ates, listening intently 10 the
~ orators burning woros p W tue